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Slightly off the beaten tour- ist track, at the corner of Av. Camarón Sabalo
and Av. Playa Gaviotas in the Golden Zone, sits an elegant three story beige
building. On the ground floor to the left of a large metal-studded wood
door is a series of tasteful window displays of colorful ladies´ clothing
in hot pink, soft turquoise and snowfall white coordinated with handcrafted
jewelry. To the right of the door is a subtle display of Mexican arts &
crafts in the form of sculptures, paintings and pottery. A walk through
the wooden door is a step into the best Mexico has to offer of traditional
and modern art. Called Designer´s Bazaar, this two floor eclectic collection
is the life´s work of owners Roberta and Luis Vercelino. In December, they
celebrated 40 years of business in Mexico, and 40 years of a happy marriage.
Roberta, born in Missoula, Montana and raised in Spokane, Washington, had
always intended to be a professional dancer. When a tour of her dance group
was cancelled suddenly, a friend suggested they head down to Mexico to fill
in the time. They ended up in Mazatlán and a year later, after realizing
that she was probably too tiny (at 5´) to be a dancer, Roberta moved to
San Blas to open her first clothing design business and shop. While there,
she met a young, hardworking man whose family owned a busy restaurant popular
with foreign tourists. It became her favorite place to eat mainly, she says,
because you could fill up quickly on 10" shrimp for 12 pesos each. The young
man, whose father was Italian and mother Mexican, was named Luis. They married
and five years later Roberta convinced Luis to move to Mazatlán. “Luis worked
from 6am to 12pm at the restaurant and never had a nickel, so I talked him
into opening a shop in |
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Mazatlán,” Roberta
said. And their first venture was a clothing factory on Av. Constitución
which produced Roberta´s unique, comfortable designs. Although they already
had a small shop called Mexico, Mexico in the Zona Dorada, in 1980 when
they realized tourists had not yet discovered Old Town and the action was
happening in the Golden Zone, they bought their present location, built
the store and living quarters above. It was here their three children were
born. Artistic by nature, Roberta has had no formal design training. “I
lived in San Francisco for awhile before coming here. I adored that city
and spent countless days visiting the art shops, galleries and museums.
The city was my art school.” Roberta´s keen decorating eye and Luis´s management
skills have served them well. To stock their store, they close Designer´s
Bazaar for three months during the sweltering summer, heading for a base
in Lake Chapala with a list of artisans and museums to visit. “In the beginning,
if we found a lovely piece of artwork, we couldn´t find the artist. We´d
knock on doors and follow leads. Museums were helpful because they had to
provide information on the exhibitors. We now have artisans we have worked
with for years and we travel all summer through different states with a
Ryder truck searching out and buying quality arts and crafts. We pack everything
ourselves and bring it back to Mazatlán, unpack it and put our finds on
display. It´s hard work,” said Roberta, looking at Luis who nodded gently
in agreement. Over the last 40 years, hard work has not diminished Roberta
and Luis´ passion for the thrill of discovering unknown talented Mexican
artisans and displaying their work in the Designer´s Bazaar, a shop that
is truly the jewel in the crown of Mexico´s arts and crafts. |
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